Verizon Outlines Alltel Integration Plan

What exactly was the point of this merger?

This seems like a lose-lose to Alltel customers if you ask me. At least they get to keep their phone (here's hoping it doesn't require Verizon's horrible software to be installed) , but the whole point of signing up with Alltel was their rate plans- specifically the fact MyCircle is a lot better for many than Verizon's lousy plans.

From everything I heard (and it makes sense), customers will keep their plans until they want to upgrade. When they upgrade, they go to a Verizon phone with that software and with a plan change...My Circle is gonnnne.

Why in the world would you keep MyCircle, when you have free Verizon to Verizon calling?

And the way they keep buying up carriers, it will only be a matter of time before everyone becomes a part of Big Red. Next up you ask? Sprunt.

The merger was anti-competitive, shouldn't have been approved, and was just a matter of Verizon throwing cash at a larger problem. Keeping the wireless division profitable keeps the investors eyes of the rest of their holdings.

Alltel IMO, was the better carrier of these two and a lot of subscribers will be jumping ship when time comes for a new "Verizon" contract.

That fact is that Alltel was ACQUIRED...bought out, there was no merger here. Coverage will not be increased because they already are using the same towers and technology. The only people that may experience any type of coverage increase would be the prepaid customer who would have more VZW towers to work on and less roaming areas.

As an independent owner of a VZW store I welcome the increased business.

The point? Let's see... From a Verizon Wireless point of view: Enhanced services like Push-to-talk, Field Force Manager, VZNavigator and Broadband Access Cards will work in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Mississippi (not just on the coast), Alabama (between Mobile and Montgomery or Mobile and Tuscaloosa) West Texas... Plus, Verizon gains the data roaming agreement that Alltel has with Sprint. Seriously, have you seen the gaps that acquiring Alltel is going to close? Verizon will save a mint on roaming revenues as well. As a consumer, I hate to lose another carrier, but this merger (read: BUYOUT) does make sense from a business perspective for Verizon.

The whole using the same towers thing, is not true at all. Atleast not in my area, because in a town near where i live there is 0 verizon service however alltel gets full bar signal. So im wondering how can they use the same towers if this is true?

The point of this merger was to aquire a large number of wireless subscribers. The market is saturated at this point, Gross Adds have dropped off year over year for all the big Wireless companies. And since Verizon's Human Cloning project has yet to bear fruit, the only other option is other companie's customers.

This achieved through agressive marketing, mergers (like this one and several others), and highly trained Flying Monkey goon squads that peform random "shakedowns" of competitors customers.

PS VZW software, while not always aeshtically(sp?) pleasing, it IS NOT CRIPPLED. And yes, that statement includes Bluetooth Profiles. Almost every BT profile is supported, with the exception of like the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwhich c...(continues)

The problem is that Verizon and Alltel have mostly redundant markets. Given that Alltel's entire shtick has been their plans, I'd imagine many Alltel subscribers would be upset with the disappearance of My Circle- and leave given the option.

From a consumer's perspective, This never should have been greenlighted by the FCC.

I love how everyong has automatically assumed that My Circle is gone. Take note. Verizon Wireless has stated that My Circle is UNDER REVIEW...meaning it is not officially cut off. Will they keep it? who knows....not you...not me...not even them yet. They need to look at the financial impact of it first to see if it is worth while to implement into Verizon and if it is, at it's current version or adapted. So don't assume it's automatically gone because Chad's got red on now...Remember...Verizon has a knack for announcing surprises when it comes to things that will positively impact Customer Service (and especially positively impact revenue).

Have you not looked at VZW plans? There is nothing remotely close to what Alltel offers and they do not have any problems signing up customers. Since they have no problems signing up customers, they will have no need for those plans. Those plans are going to get dropped like a bad habit

Verizon won't necessarily drop all the Alltel plans. You're right, Verizon doesn't have any problem signing up new customers, but penetration is getting so high it can't keep going up forever. If Verizon deems that the Alltel plan will give them an additional profitable competitive advantage, they will keep them.

Basically put: if MyCircle or other plans will make Verizon more profitable, they will take the step to make the entire company more profitable.

I think a lot of people fail to recognize it may not be the fact that Verizon Wireless was watching Alltel and waiting for just the right moment to acquire it, but the fact that the owners wanted to sell it.

Goldman Sachs and TPG Capital jointly owned Alltel after the leveraged buyout. In less than a year, all the major investment banks in the United States have disappeared in their previous forms. Bear Stearns collapsed and was sold to JPMorgan Chase in a fire sale. Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. Merrill Lynch was sold to Bank of America. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanly converted to traditional commercial banks to begin the foray into checking, savings, money market, and certificates of deposit.

Personally, I think that if the economy didn't tank, Alltel may have bought US Cellular and started to go head to head with the nationals. All the nationals started as regional companies in the wireless arena.

algorithmplus said:Personally, I think that if the economy didn't tank, Alltel may have bought US Cellular and started to go head to head with the nationals. All the nationals started as regional companies in the wireless arena.

If the Carlsons didn't hold the bulk of USCC stock, It might have been possible for Alltel to acquire USCC. But they would have had to divest properties as well, including divesting southwestern Wisconsin, most of Nebraska & Kansas, parts of Oklahoma & Texas, and the Carolinas where there's overlap. If Alltel didn't have this fear of building out in 1900 spectrum, then they could have had a chance to expand their network more. At least USCC has made an attempt to build out i...(continues)

I think the bigger problem with Sprint is not the affiliates and overlap, but the condition of Sprint itself as a company. Buying Sprint would be like buying a nearly condemned house to make it into a luxury home, it would require too much overhaul to be acquired at anything but a few pennies on the dollar.

Alltel was profitable and doing well. Upper management split the company's wireline and wireless businesses to make it easier to sell the wireless side.

Then, they sold to TPG/Goldman Sachs which eliminated stockholders and took the company private. AND, added a large amount of debt, because the buyers put very little down. They added no value and loaded up the company with debt.

Then, Verizon buys Alltel. I have nothing against Verizon. It's the people who sold out Alltel to profit the few that bothers me.

Don't forget that Verizon pays over a billion dollars a year in Alltel to roaming fees, this buyout was perfect for Verizon. With the "largest network" from Alltel in terms of square mileage and now the "largest network" for customers as well this bodes well for Verizon's position in the market. From what I have been hearing AT&T isn't going to pick up many of the divestiture markets where they really need the coverage, the rural areas that Verizon and Alltel (and US Cellular and the other regionals) already have dominance in. Why let Verizon gain such a hold on the area of coverage? Maybe what I'm hearing is false and we'll see AT&T make a major grab, but I firmly believe that US Cellular is going to snap up most of these rural markets ...(continues)

The POINT is that the aqusition went through! Verizon now owns Alltel! So quit complaining about it! Its not going to help!! If you dont like it then go to another carrier! Im sure Sprint or AT&T would love to see your face!